E-commerce makes up a fraction of overall retail sales — or about 16% in the first quarter of this year, according to a report from the US Census Bureau. But it continues to grow:
By 2027, online shopping is projected to account for 41% of sales.
It’s convenient, offers nearly endless selection and you never have to wait in line to check out. Fast shipping has mostly eliminated the burden of waiting for orders, but one pain point remains: Returns.
Fytted may have a way to help eliminate that. Formerly known as MeasureMe AI, Fytted is a 2-month-old AI startup that uses iPhones to calculate body measurements and then align those details with brand sizing charts, so you’ll theoretically know exactly what size to order no matter where you shop. (At least as long as the brand partners with Fytted.)
It’s part of the gold rush of the generative AI era, as a range of new companies seek to apply the technology to daily problems like translating baby sounds, distinguishing between weeds and crops and preserving memories of loved ones. Gen AI is a lot more than just OpenAI and Anthropic and AI chatbots.
Fytted’s technology originated as part of the college sports app AllAthlete, which Fytted CEO Greg Aeurbach founded in 2020 to help athletes share data about themselves with recruiters.
AllAthlete released a body measurement tool in December 2023 and inadvertently found a new audience.
“We went from having about 200 measurements shared from athletes a day to over 10,000 a day,” Auerbach said. “And what we noticed is people were just getting their body measurements. It wasn’t athletes.”
That likely explains why you see measurement options like bicep circumference, wingspan and tibia length in the clothing app. But Fytted also calls out fashion-specific measurements like inseam, sleeve length and waist width.
Once you’ve scanned your body parts with your phone to add your measurements, you can then shop from brands within the app. Retailers like Allbirds, Calvin Klein, Levi’s, Nike and Zara have their own pages. Each offers a small selection of clothing or shoes with the option to go directly to the website. (Fytted makes a commission via affiliate links.)
It’s pretty simple otherwise. If you see an article of clothing you like in the app, you can click on that item and select, “Find your size.”
To use the AI measurement features in the app, you do have to have an iPhone Pro.
According to Auerbach, Fytted uses machine learning algorithms, computer vision and lidar in iPhone Pro devices to gather depth data and to analyze the person in the frame. He says this is more accurate than traditional chest and hip measurements used by competitors like True Fit and What’s My Size, which he describes as “a laidback way of trying to estimate the size.”
One benefit to retail partners is a potential reduction in returns. According to Auerbach’s figures, retailers lost $38 billion in 2023 as 24% of all clothing purchased online was returned. And the primary reason is because it didn’t fit.
Fytted also offers styling services, which take your body shape into account to make recommendations “to really help any person emphasize and stand out with their own fashionable choices,” he added.
Founded as MeasureMe AI, the startup made a name change because Fytted “falls more in line with what our user base prefers” and “because … there’s so many measurements that we capture and they’re all really cool measurements,” Auerbach said.
Fytted plans to add 3D body renderings, as well as a feature to help you see how clothes will look on you.
The startup is backed by an angel investment and has plans to raise seed capital.
This is one of a series of short profiles of AI startups, to help you get a handle on the landscape of artificial intelligence activity going on. For more on AI, see our new AI Atlas hub, which includes product reviews, news, tips and explainers.
Editors’ note: CNET used an AI engine to help create several dozen stories, which are labeled accordingly. The note you’re reading is attached to articles that deal substantively with the topic of AI but are created entirely by our expert editors and writers. For more, see our AI policy.
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Lisa Lacy
